The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Two-Disc Special Edition (Paramount)
Button remains scattershot on second viewing, hampered by
David Fincher’s inability to believe in sentiment as much as technical
wizardry. But the disc’s three-hour making-of documentary sets a new
quality standard for behind-the-scenes extras. DVD
—MP
Dollhouse: Season One (20th Century Fox)
The never-aired, first-season Dollhouse finale boasted by
this set is even more of a treat now that the low-rated Fox show has
been officially cancelled. The episode, “Epitaph One,” ambitiously
jumps ahead in time, showing viewers the fates of many of the show’s
morally conflicted characters —and where the slippery slope started
by the people-pimping Dollhouse’s ominous identity-replacing software
eventually leads. (Also on Blu-ray.) —LM
Drag Me to Hell: Unrated Director’s Cut (Universal)
The disc is wanting in extras, but the re-insertion of footage
trimmed to get a PG-13 (totalling under a minute) lifts Drag Me to
Hell‘s value in the Sam Raimi splatter pantheon. (Also on
Blu-ray.) —MP
Friday the 13th: Uncut/Part 2/Part 3: 3-D Deluxe Edition (Paramount)
The first three entries of a mostly dismal slasher series have been
released in earlier versions, but these special editions deliver the
DVD and Blu-ray goods before things went sour. Part two remains the
best of the lot, and number three, in cheesy 3-D for the first time on
home video, is a fun TV-party disc. (Also on Blu-ray.)
—MP
In the Loop (BBC Films)
Based on the British TV series The Thick of It, you’ll want
to pause the DVD while you laugh your ass off at the razor-sharp,
political satire. Imagine Yes, Minister with added swears.
—CK
Julia (Magnolia)
Considering her otherworldly beauty and outre interests, it’s
remarkable how Tilda Swinton can convincingly portray American
mundanity. Her Julia, here, a downward spiralling alcoholic embroiled
in a kidnapping plot, is a bravura performance.
—HT
The Last Days of Disco (Criterion)
This restored Criterion edition of director Whit Stillman’s
affectionate look at The Last Days of Disco will make you eager
to befriend virtuous yuppies and go out dancing, and even more eager to
write Stillman a letter encouraging him to start making movies again.
—LM
Monty Python: Almost the Truth: The Lawyer’s Cut (Eagle Vision)
The exhaustive six-hour story of the Pythons plays like an elegy for
a now-rare type of comedy that values knowledge over pop culture-savvy
and wordplay over snark. (Also on Blu-ray.) —HT
Night of the Creeps:Director’s Cut (Sony)
Fred Dekker’s cult ’80s horror mash-up finally hits DVD and Blu-ray,
and the surprise isn’t that its shocks and laughs are pretty
consistent. This is one “buried classic” the geeks weren’t wrong about.
(Also on Blu-ray.) —MP
The State: The Complete Series (MTV)
The Stella and Reno 911! alums who made up comedy
troupe The State announced in November 2007 that a full-series set of
their beloved MTV sketch show was ready to go (complete with commentary
tracks and never-seen sketches). The series was finally released
in July 2009, with some licensed music altered, but with the group’s
offbeat comedy entirely intact. —LM
Synecdoche, New York (Maple Pictures)
One of the Synecdoche, New York disc’s extras is a bloggers’
roundtable that assembles a pile of smart movie scribes (including
former Premiere writer Glenn Kenny) to chat about the film, and
what they got from it—a great compass to use whilst attempting to
navigate Charlie Kaufman’s most Charlie Kaufman-y movie yet. (Also on
Blu-ray.) —LM
Top Chef: New York: The Complete Season 5 (A&E Home Video)
While Season Five wasn’t the best outing from Bravo’s slicing,
dicing and sous-vide-ing competition (that honour goes to Top Chef:
Chicago, and humble winner Stephanie), it’s the only season
available on DVD. Plus, it totally features Fabio, my all-time
favourite cheftestant—a charismatic Italian sound-bite machine who
breaks his finger mid-competition and keeps cooking a round-winning
chicken dinner anyway, declaring “This is Top Chef, not Top Pussy.”
—LM
Timecrimes (Magnet)
An air-tight time travel thriller, this Spanish feature is less
haunting but also less confusing than that other great temporal epic of
recent years, Primer. See Nacho Vigalondo’s Timecrimes before Hollywood remakes it. —CK
Watchmen: Director’s Cut (Warner Brothers)
Extra scenes in the DVD release include Hollis Mason’s murder and
other interstitial moments that help flesh out the R-rated superhero
epic. Still no spot on the comic, but you have to admire the effort.
—CK
The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary
Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner)
If you’ve ever seen a movie, chances are you’ve seen this one. Now
spend the next year watching DVD extras about it. (Also on
Blu-ray.) —MP
Thirty future classics, divided into helpful
categories
Action jacksons
In the Loop (Alliance)
Knowing* (Paradox)
RocknRolla* (Warner)
State of Play* (Universal)
Comedy factory
Arab Labor: The Complete First Season (Alive Mind)
Eastbound & Down: The Complete First Season (HBO)
Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Second Season (HBO)
The Great Buck Howard* (Magnolia)
Patton Oswalt: My Weakness is Strong (Warner Bros)
Pulling: The Complete First Season (MPI)
Real life
Anvil: The Story of Anvil (VH1 Classics)
This American Life: Season Two (Showtime)
Trouble the Water (Paradox)
The Garden (Oscilloscope)
Fancy, foreign
The 400 Blows* (Criterion)Â
Hunger (IFC)
I’ve Loved You So Long* (Sony Pictures)
Kagemusha* (Criterion)
Kid’s play
Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition* (Disney)
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days (Sesame Street)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection* (Warner)
Up* (Disney)
Tears and cheers
Adventureland* (Maple Pictures)
Away We Go* (Universal)
Goodbye Solo (Lionsgate)
Happy-Go-Lucky*Â (Maple Pictures)
I Love You, Man* (Dreamworks)
Julie and Julia* (Columbia/Tristar)
Repulsion* (Criterion)
The Wrestler* (Alliance)
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This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.
The Great Buck Howard is one of the worst movies of all time. The Hanks double whammy is repusling.